President Bush is appearing on the Rush Limbaugh Program

I would guess that the appearance is over by now; I didn't listen to it, though will read it later on tonight. Rush is known for asking tough questions like "Doesn't it bother you when Democrats lie and distort your record?"

It's hard to know which one needs the other more right now. Bush's stock is pretty low, but Rush's stock took a hit when he slimed Michael J. Fox last week. Media Matters for America's Eric Boehlert's latest article covered the scandal and the Press's kid gloves dealing with Mr. Limbaugh.

And it's not like the facts were complicated. Fox made a heartfelt plea urging voters in Missouri to support Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, who he stated "shares [his] hope for cures" through stem cell research. Limbaugh promptly belittled the actor, telling listeners the herky-jerky motions Fox was making during the commercial were a con; "purely an act" to elicit an emotional response. Limbaugh even uncorked spastic, in-studio gesticulations to mimic Fox's awkward appearance.

Limbaugh said if he was proven wrong he'd apologized. But the press took that for an apology itself. Days later, as the controversy raged, Limbaugh was even clearer, insisting, "I stand by what I said [about Fox]. I take back none of what I said. I wouldn't rephrase it any differently. It is what I believe. It is what I think. It is what I have found to be true."

So yeah it's hard to see who's benefiting from whom in this little dance. Still it's always good to see Bush or any administration official appearing on the Rush Limbaugh show, if only to put the lie to claims that President Bush doesn't agree with the extreme positions of his base.